Swazi Observer

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TEEN (14) ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF 7-YR-OLD BOY

By NONDUDUZO KUNENE | 2020-07-01

THE Hhukwini community members have been left devastated after a seven year old boy was found dead after he was reported missing on Monday.

A father had to experience the most painful situation that life can bring to a parent, which is the lifeless body of his son.

Simiso Ntuli was discovered dead yesterday afternoon by police and his family members who were accompanied by some members of the community after he was reported missing on Monday afternoon.

The boy’s body was found with a stab wound on his neck under a tree located just a few kilometres from his homestead with all the items he was sent to purchase. Simiso’s father Sikhumbuzo was engulfed with emotions after stumbling upon his son’s lifeless body.

According to Mbongiseni Ntuli, who is the boy’s uncle, he left home at around 0930 hours to a nearby store where Simiso was sent by his grandmother. The grocery store is located a couple of kilometres from the Ntuli’s homestead.

“We left home together at around 0930 hours for our different destinations,” he said. Mbongiseni said when he returned home at around 1330 hours, he came across the late boy’s elder brother, looking for Simiso after he had not returned from the grocery store after several hours. He said he was startled by that the boy had not returned home.

The uncle said he told the children to go and ask from the grocery store if they saw him while he proceeded home to ensure that they did not use different paths, which might lead to them not to see each other.

However, when he reached home the boy was still not at home.

He said he together with his neighbour went to search for the boy at the nearby places. The uncle said they also asked around, more especially from his friends but they did not have a sign of him. After a fruitless search, the family then called the police and reported the matter to the Lobamba Police Station.

tip-off

Police arrived at the Ntuli homestead and recorded a statement. The uncle said the police were extremely helpful, as they kept calling them all night even after they had left the home, as they could not conduct a search on Monday evening when they arrived.

Yesterday morning, the uncle said the police were the first to arrive and began the search which was later joined by the community. A 14-year-old boy from Hhukwini is currently in police custody for the seven-year-old’s murder. Mbongiseni said after his nephew went missing, he received a tip-off from some community members about the suspect.

The uncle said he was told by neighbours to ask for his nephew from the 14-year-old boy who also resides in the same area. The uncle said he learnt from the tip-off that the young man had a tendency of running after children in the community and forcefully grab money from them on their way to local shops. After the tip-off, he then went straight to the young man’s homestead to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the boy.

At first the boy did not reveal the truth, as he denied ever seeing Simiso but eventually confessed that he saw the boy and talked to him.Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent PhindileVilakati confirmed the murder of the seven-year-old boy. She stated that the police are currently conducting an investigation.

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